It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
